Cabinet approval was granted yesterday for a 5-year project to resolve the water shortage problem in the Jaffna Peninsula. The project was submitted for approval by the Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry.
The project, named ‘A river for Jaffna’, has been designed to be completed within five years and is estimated to cost Rs. 3,609 million.
As there are no rivers in the Jaffna Peninsula, the project, in order to resolve the chronic water shortage, aims at reducing the salinity of the well water bordering the Vadamaarachchi lagoon, increasing the water supply for agriculture purposes by 8 million cubic meters and, increasing the fresh water supply for household purposes and consumption. The project will be implemented in two stages within a period of five years.